[GH-ISSUE #992] Can't download stuff from YouTube, cobalt says it's disabled or returns 0 byte files #2042

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opened 2026-04-11 06:27:21 -05:00 by GiteaMirror · 31 comments
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Originally created by @bridgetpenpen on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/issues/992

bug description

every time i download any video the bytes are 0 off youtube

reproduction steps

1 go to youtube
2 copy and paste link into cobalt
3 hit the arrows to download
4 see that the files have 0 bytes on them

screenshots

Screenshot (3)

No response

platform information

window 10 on chrome/google on ios

additional context

No response

Originally created by @bridgetpenpen on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/issues/992 ### bug description every time i download any video the bytes are 0 off youtube ### reproduction steps 1 go to youtube 2 copy and paste link into cobalt 3 hit the arrows to download 4 see that the files have 0 bytes on them ### screenshots ![Screenshot (3)](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f91ff837-da07-4cdc-a61c-f0b901beaa69) ### links _No response_ ### platform information window 10 on chrome/google on ios ### additional context _No response_
GiteaMirror added the main instance issue label 2026-04-11 06:27:21 -05:00
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@hamidb80 commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

same here

<!-- gh-comment-id:2537807921 --> @hamidb80 commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): same here
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@mts1234a commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

if you can't fix this, i'll assume this is a useless link

<!-- gh-comment-id:2538006328 --> @mts1234a commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): if you can't fix this, i'll assume this is a useless link
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@Aaronlalala commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

Same here.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2538040049 --> @Aaronlalala commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): Same here.
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@wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

we've been aware of the issue since the very beginning (approx 4 hours ago). it's not caused by us and is not an issue with cobalt's code, youtube blocked all of our ip ranges this morning.

we're currently doing our best trying to come up with a solution to restore downloads from youtube asap. we're sorry for any inconveniences caused in the meantime :(

as a temporary measure, you can try self-hosting a cobalt processing instance on your computer or home server: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/blob/main/docs/run-an-instance.md

i've temporarily disabled youtube support on the main instance, so that you don't get 0 byte files.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2538080172 --> @wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): we've been aware of the issue since the very beginning (approx 4 hours ago). it's not caused by us and is not an issue with cobalt's code, youtube blocked all of our ip ranges this morning. we're currently doing our best trying to come up with a solution to restore downloads from youtube asap. we're sorry for any inconveniences caused in the meantime :( as a temporary measure, you can try self-hosting a cobalt processing instance on your computer or home server: https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt/blob/main/docs/run-an-instance.md i've temporarily disabled youtube support on the main instance, so that you don't get 0 byte files.
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@ogohogo commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

beside ip blocking they send abuse messages, be careful :)

image

<!-- gh-comment-id:2538556758 --> @ogohogo commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): beside ip blocking they send abuse messages, be careful :) ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ccdb39f4-ff02-4176-a972-669078c995d2)
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@wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

beside ip blocking they send abuse messages, be careful

i'm soooo scared of a baseless threat by google
(thank you for the warning though)

<!-- gh-comment-id:2538716263 --> @wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): > beside ip blocking they send abuse messages, be careful i'm soooo scared of a baseless threat by google _(thank you for the warning though)_
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@cheekyrandom commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

think i possibly contributed to this issue LOL

<!-- gh-comment-id:2538919174 --> @cheekyrandom commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): think i possibly contributed to this issue LOL
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@rnxm commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

fuck google

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539532426 --> @rnxm commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): fuck google
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@Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

Might it be possible to setup Mullvad on the processing servers to bypass the IP blocks? I know a VPN is a bit tricky on servers due to incoming traffic, but not impossible.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539748469 --> @Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): Might it be possible to setup Mullvad on the processing servers to bypass the IP blocks? I know a VPN is a bit tricky on servers due to incoming traffic, but not impossible.
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@CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

@Sainan I actually have Gluetun setup in a docker container which uses Mullvad, I then connect it to the Cobalt API instance that is also running in a docker container. This worked for me but not for very long, the IP's eventually get blocked (pretty quickily too).

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539753854 --> @CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): @Sainan I actually have Gluetun setup in a docker container which uses Mullvad, I then connect it to the Cobalt API instance that is also running in a docker container. This worked for me but not for very long, the IP's eventually get blocked (pretty quickily too).
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@Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

Set it up to automatically switch Mullvad servers every hour. 🙈

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539780476 --> @Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): Set it up to automatically switch Mullvad servers every hour. 🙈
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@CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

Set it up to automatically switch Mullvad servers every hour. 🙈

I assume you're joking, but if not, rotating proxies might actually be a better solution than a VPN.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539946323 --> @CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): > Set it up to automatically switch Mullvad servers every hour. 🙈 I assume you're joking, but if not, rotating proxies might actually be a better solution than a VPN.
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@Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

I'm not joking. It's what we did for checking a certain anti-cheat provider for information about bans. They did not like that we were providing transparency into their business. After deploying this Mullvad approach, they seemed to stop bothering.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539956870 --> @Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): I'm not joking. It's what we did for checking a certain anti-cheat provider for information about bans. They did not like that we were providing transparency into their business. After deploying this Mullvad approach, they seemed to stop bothering.
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@CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

Wouldn't you eventually run out of servers to use on Mullvad? Plus, YouTube could end up blocking their ASN altogether. A rotating proxy might be a more sustainable solution for something like this.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539974418 --> @CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): Wouldn't you eventually run out of servers to use on Mullvad? Plus, YouTube could end up blocking their ASN altogether. A rotating proxy might be a more sustainable solution for something like this.
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@Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

The idea is that legit users still use Mullvad, so blocking them outright might be less ideal.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2539980181 --> @Sainan commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): The idea is that legit users still use Mullvad, so blocking them outright might be less ideal.
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@CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024):

I think you're right in that they wouldn't block them outright. Still a possiblity since it is Google we're talking about. Regardless I think running a VPN over the entire instance would be slow, potentially cause issues with other services and be somewhat useless since the time it takes YouTube to block the IP is inconsistent, so changing server every 1 hour wouldn't be a solution.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2540006882 --> @CallMeVerity commented on GitHub (Dec 12, 2024): I think you're right in that they wouldn't block them outright. Still a possiblity since it is Google we're talking about. Regardless I think running a VPN over the entire instance would be slow, potentially cause issues with other services and be somewhat useless since the time it takes YouTube to block the IP is inconsistent, so changing server every 1 hour wouldn't be a solution.
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@tayfrm99 commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024):

The idea is that legit users still use Mullvad, so blocking them outright might be less ideal.

true, they also move their servers around quite often

<!-- gh-comment-id:2540291875 --> @tayfrm99 commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024): > The idea is that legit users still use Mullvad, so blocking them outright might be less ideal. true, they also move their servers around quite often
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@WorriedArrow commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024):

Seems to work now..?

<!-- gh-comment-id:2540305068 --> @WorriedArrow commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024): Seems to work now..?
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@vergiliusmaximus commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024):

Working now 👍 thanks a lot. Imma donate when I can

<!-- gh-comment-id:2540375413 --> @vergiliusmaximus commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024): Working now 👍 thanks a lot. Imma donate when I can
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@vergiliusmaximus commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024):

Seems to work now..?

yup working now

<!-- gh-comment-id:2540376756 --> @vergiliusmaximus commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2024): > Seems to work now..? yup working now
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@wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024):

as others have mentioned, it's been fixed for a few days (since evening of 12th), but we made sure to get backups so this doesn't happen again in the future. can never be sure with youtube though.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2543239228 --> @wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024): as others have mentioned, it's been fixed for a few days (since evening of 12th), but we made sure to get backups so this doesn't happen again in the future. can never be sure with youtube though.
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@PurpBatBoi commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024):

6:16pm, dec14, its broken again 😔

<!-- gh-comment-id:2543360781 --> @PurpBatBoi commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024): 6:16pm, dec14, its broken again 😔
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@SleepyPeko commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024):

still getting 0b over here. ig youtube links are still broken

<!-- gh-comment-id:2543366269 --> @SleepyPeko commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024): still getting 0b over here. ig youtube links are still broken
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@SleepyPeko commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024):

still getting 0b over here. ig youtube links are still broken

anyways, ight imma go selfhost cobalt

<!-- gh-comment-id:2543366588 --> @SleepyPeko commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2024): > still getting 0b over here. ig youtube links are still broken anyways, ight imma go selfhost cobalt
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@ieatwaffle commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2024):

Hello! i created an account just to say that issue is still persistent with YouTube links. I was able to download SoundCloud links but YouTube doesn't seem to be working at the moment again.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2543404955 --> @ieatwaffle commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2024): Hello! i created an account just to say that issue is still persistent with YouTube links. I was able to download SoundCloud links but YouTube doesn't seem to be working at the moment again.
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@wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2024):

fixed again, it happened deep at night, almost intentionally

<!-- gh-comment-id:2543419033 --> @wukko commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2024): fixed again, it happened deep at night, almost intentionally
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@marco-lee-datax commented on GitHub (Jan 22, 2025):

Wouldn't you eventually run out of servers to use on Mullvad? Plus, YouTube could end up blocking their ASN altogether. A rotating proxy might be a more sustainable solution for something like this.

@wukko Did you deploy this solution? Can you please share with us how you fixed it? Thank you so much!

<!-- gh-comment-id:2606429500 --> @marco-lee-datax commented on GitHub (Jan 22, 2025): > Wouldn't you eventually run out of servers to use on Mullvad? Plus, YouTube could end up blocking their ASN altogether. A rotating proxy might be a more sustainable solution for something like this. @wukko Did you deploy this solution? Can you please share with us how you fixed it? Thank you so much!
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@Chonkblonk commented on GitHub (Jan 30, 2025):

I appear to be experiencing an issue like this, I am getting a 0 byte file, but most peculiarly, what I am being provided is a 0 byte .txt file, for whatever reason.

Image

Now, I want to be clear also that I have not somehow managed to change anything on my end to make my computer think that .mp3 files are to be opened with Notepad.exe, because that is not what is happening on my end. It seems that either Cobalt or Firefox interprets the file in question as being a .txt file.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2624713643 --> @Chonkblonk commented on GitHub (Jan 30, 2025): I appear to be experiencing an issue like this, I am getting a 0 byte file, but most peculiarly, what I am being provided is a 0 byte .txt file, for whatever reason. ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1bf4dc58-9d8e-4211-9878-4a48d63b29e2) Now, I want to be clear also that I have not somehow managed to change anything on my end to make my computer think that .mp3 files are to be opened with Notepad.exe, because that is not what is happening on my end. It seems that either Cobalt or Firefox interprets the file in question as being a .txt file.
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@wukko commented on GitHub (Jan 30, 2025):

I appear to be experiencing an issue like this

@Chonkblonk can you try again?

<!-- gh-comment-id:2624742373 --> @wukko commented on GitHub (Jan 30, 2025): > I appear to be experiencing an issue like this @Chonkblonk can you try again?
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@Cattrag commented on GitHub (Jan 31, 2025):

Image
now im getting it too...

<!-- gh-comment-id:2628473502 --> @Cattrag commented on GitHub (Jan 31, 2025): ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1855f5e2-c09d-41b7-8e24-ead061ac23bf) now im getting it too...
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@Chonkblonk commented on GitHub (Jan 31, 2025):

The funniest thing, is that just a few minutes after sending this, I tried again, and then suddenly it worked.
Sorry, should have replied back sooner.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2628483055 --> @Chonkblonk commented on GitHub (Jan 31, 2025): The funniest thing, is that just a few minutes after sending this, I tried again, and then suddenly it worked. Sorry, should have replied back sooner.
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